When I taught elementary school, we'd often make bulletin boards in the fall with paper leaves the kids decorated. The headline would be "Falling into Fall." One of my favorite astrologers predicted that in September, I would "fall down and pick myself up and fall down again." And this is exactly what I did! I fell on a Wednesday and again three days later! Both falls were nasty ones which left me banged up, bruised and shaken, and I'm still nursing a large bruise on my thigh and a soreness that has slowed my pace significantly when I walk. I am grateful that I didn't break any bones or injure myself so that I couldn't walk at all or had to go to the doctor.
Falling made me realize the importance of those who are in close proximity to me. During the first fall, I was with a friend who was well prepared with a first aid kit in her car. She expertly tended to my scratches and asked the restaurant where we were about to have lunch for a pack of ice that I could apply while we went ahead with our meal. The staff was very accommodating. I was fortunate that my husband was home when I fell the second time which was more serious as I fainted and hit the back of my head when I fell!
The first fall was caused when I tripped on an uneven surface while crossing a street wearing flip flops. The second fall happened after I got food (actually drink) poisoning from drinking un-refrigerated tea that I had made from fresh mint. It had sat out overnight in water. Shortly after I drank it, I had severe stomach cramps that caused me to faint!
The out of control feeling of falling is so frightening! On September 26, the skier, Hilaree Nelson, fell off a mountain to her death in Nepal! Perhaps our bodies were reacting to the unstable energy in the collective during these crazy times we are living in?! She was quoted as saying just days prior to the fall that she was having a hard time accessing the calm and inspiration of the mountain. She had skied countless mountains in her career, as I have walked without incident across many uneven surfaces wearing the very shoes I was wearing the day I fell in them.
I'm not sure what all of this means or really what to say about it except that I feel extremely lucky that I was not hurt more seriously than I was. And here are a few more recommendations and reflections. Obviously, it's a good idea to occasionally look down and look ahead and not be be distracted when walking, especially on uneven and unfamiliar surfaces, especially when wearing open toed shoes or sandals. I realized after my fall that neither of our cars had first aid kits in them! When I sold my old car to my daughter and bought a new one, I failed to buy a new kit for it! I immediately bought kits for each car and replenished all of the first aid supplies in our home. I stocked up on arnicare gel, epsom salts and neosporin.
If you make tea from fresh leaves, be sure to refrigerate any leftovers. I suspect that a tiny mold spore may have been hiding in the water when I had the leftover tea. It could also be that I had too much of the tea or that the concentration of oils in it were too much for my system since it had been steeping overnight? I'm not totally sure why it caused such a severe reaction since I have had it many times before, just never after it had been sitting out in water for several hours.
I like to think that my daily yoga practice may have had some preventative impact when I fell. I know that it is especially important for older people to consistently work on balancing exercises. I'm glad that I had been walking every day as well. If you ever feel as if you are going to pass out, try to lie down so you don't fall. Lastly, I do believe in angels and like to believe they were with me on both occasions when I fell. I believe they cushioned my falls. Mostly, I salute and thank the Earth angels who cared for me in the aftermath of these falls, especially my husband and friend. Another friend brought me a large bouquet of fragrant lilies, a card and some candy, and many others prayed for me.
As I said before, we are living in unstable and chaotic times. Let's slow down and take care and look out for one another. Call for help if you need it and surround yourself with people who will be quick to pick you up should you fall either physically or psychologically. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year. I trust if we fall, we can do so gently, as if falling into a large pile of soft leaves or into the welcoming arms of a lover.